Newbie and temp issues 18.5 in UK, any help appreciated


 
G

Gavin H

New member
Hi all

I have been reading a lot on here and real helpful thank you!

I have completed 3 cooks now on my new purchased 18.5 WSM, ribs and pulled pork so far with good food results but a lot of panic and tendering needed to keep temp above 210F until my finding on cook 3

Cook 1

Foiled and water in pan
Minion method
3 racks of ribs
Redi-check temp probe
all vents full open
Weber briquettes
2 x small dry chunks of apple wood
only 50% of charcoal burnt up next morning

Fired up okay and got to 210 on redicheck placed in side port, put food on expecting it to keep climbing and would have to close bottom vents to control but after the dip of lid off only just got back to 210, 45 mins later starts dropping. So got hot air / heat gun to blast some air in bottom vent, it got to 225 and I then had to pretty much keep cycling the heat gun on and off every 20 mins to get temp to hold steady as it would just drop off. this made for a very long 6 hour cook. But the ribs were very good

Cook 2

Fitted Gasket set to door and lid as suspected this may help??
Foiled and hot water in pan
Minion method
3 racks of ribs
Redi-check temp probe
all vents full open
Weber briquettes
2 x small dry chunks of apple wood
again only 50% of charcoal burnt up next morning when left it going

Same as previous cook could not get temp up, tried propping door open but with no real result, set large fan up next to smoker at bottom again and managed to get it to hold 230


Cook 3

ribs and pork joint and same setup as cook 2, no fan

When i put the meat on i failed to put the lid on correctly (didn't notice at this point), I noticed this when I returned to check temp as redi check beeping and was starting to climb above 235, I put lid back on and shut bottom vents 1/3 and left top full open. The temp then dived and even with bottom vents wide open would not recover, I then thought about the lid not on correctly and placed a small screw on lid rim causing a gap. The temp then climbed and was able to control on bottom vents all good and temp held for well over 10 hours....... in the morning all the charcoal was burnt out


It seems that even with the lid vent wide open it cant pull enough draft and have to make a gap to let more out??

Any ideas what i am doing wrong as without introducing a gap at lid it almost seems to be going out and many mention they should burn fine sealed up, do i need to mod a second lid vent?

I hope you can help as food results are great just would like a little more predictability on the temp front

Thanks
Gavin


PS i have been using a full chimney of white hot coals to start the minion
 
I would guess there might be something wrong with your charcoal (damp??). I've always had the opposite problem . I usually need to choke back the vents in order to avoid getting too hot. A full chimney of lit would have me well over 300 with the vents fully open.
 
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Are you going off of the thermometer in the dome? That thing is WAY off! I find that when mine reads 210° its more like 250-260°. Get a digital thermometer like the Maverick et-732. Don't trust the dome, it lies.
 
V_Rocco said:
I would guess there might be something wrong with your charcoal (damp??). I've always had the opposite problem . I usually need to choke back the vents in order to avoid getting too hot. A full chimney of lit would have me well over 300 with the vents fully open.
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Hi

Many thanks that is a very good point as i keep it in the shed and the weather is never so great in the UK!

I will buy some fresh as normally buy in bulk and store

thanks

- - - Updated - - -

Hi

Not yet will give this a go on my next cook with the fresh charcoal as V Rocco mentioned

thank you for the tips

- - - Updated - - -

Jason Paul said:
Have you tried it with an empty water pan? No water, just foiled to help keep it clean?

Jason
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Hi

Not yet will give this a go on my next cook with the fresh charcoal as V Rocco mentioned

thank you for the tips
 
Yeah but as S Six asked, are you using the dome thermometer when you're checking temp?

If so, you're wasting your time and it's lying. Assume nothing until you've actually tested with a real thermometer, either via wired probe or a narrow pen-style thermometer through the silicone grommet on the mid-section.
 
NickMV said:
Yeah but as S Six asked, are you using the dome thermometer when you're checking temp?



If so, you're wasting your time and it's lying. Assume nothing until you've actually tested with a real thermometer, either via wired probe or a narrow pen-style thermometer through the silicone grommet on the mid-section.
Click to expand...

Hi

No I have a redi check dual probe temp system. I put it in the side port and also stuck in another calibratied probe in from my work and both read the same, and as you say way off that lid guage

Thanks for the help appreciated
 
I've had the same problems and have not found any single issue to account for low temps. However, I must note that I'm always smoking on a windy day (just luck), the outdoor temperature has never been above 50 degrees F when I'm smoking and occasionally in the 30's, and lump charcoal gives me much more heat, especially compared to Kingsford briquettes which so many guys consider the Gold Standard. I've also used my heat gun as a convenient blower, and have also frequently opened the door at least partially. Starting with a couple of chimneys of lit briquettes rather than the Minion method helps too. I then add more charcoal on top as there's room. I bought a flat-bottomed Brinkmann charcoal pan for water rather than the huge Weber bowl (my 18" WSM is a 2015 model), and I put in only about half a gallon of boiling water rather than starting with the huge bowl half full of cold water. The smaller water bowl allows good access to add charcoal and wood and stir the fire, and maybe changes the air flow in a positive way though I can't say that for sure.

All those things have helped me - especially the lump charcoal which as a bonus leaves at least 2/3 less ash. And I'm awaiting parts for a HeaterMeter so I'll have a stoker to make sure there's enough air. As far as the Weber lid thermometer's accuracy, mine is dead on as well as I can read it in boiling water, but my highly accurate Fluke temperature gauge shows that the temperature swings fairly widely within a few minutes and even only a few inches from the lid thermometer's probe, I find temps commonly differing by 20-30 degrees F.

Good luck, and Merry Christmas !!
 
Water boils at 212 deg F. / 100 deg C. At sea level. You won't get your smoker much above that if there is water in the pan. Water won't get hotter than 212 when it's not under pressure, it continues to hold its temp until it has boiled dry.

That's the purpose of a water pan. It's there to help stabilize the cooker temps in the 210-250 range.

I also wouldn't do the minion method for anything under a 8-10 hr cook. Try using a full chimney of lit coal.
 
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How much lit are you starting with? Maybe increase that.

When I do a low and slow overnight for pork butt, I usually start with about 30 briquettes. For ribs and items I tend to cook a bit hotter and faster, I may put a full chimney of lit on to start. (I use water in the pan so don't worry about it getting too hot.)

When I add my lit, I leave the middle section and lid off for several minutes to let the lit get going well with the unlit and smoke wood.

Dont be afraid to light a darned fire in there.

Good luck, and let us know how your future cooks go.
 
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